BIEN 3 is a completely new database, rebuilt from the ground up. The BIEN 3 schema is based in part on VegBank, with modifications to support herbarium specimens and a broader diversity of inventory data.  Data is transferred to VegBIEN from specimen databases using the existing Darwin Core (DwC) exchange schema; plot data is transferred using VegCSV, a new plain text schema developed by Aaron and based on the VegX vegetation exchange schema.  Individual data sources—or the entire database—can be loaded and re-loaded rapidly, allowing ongoing updates as existing data sources are modified or grow, or new sources are acquired.

BIEN 3 consists of a highly normalized core schema, containing unaggregated but partly standardized plot and specimen data, and an analytical database, containing multiple alternative views of the data in the core database, aggregated and standardized in various way. Most users will interact with the analytical database. You can view the complete schema here.

The BIEN 3 database was developed from January-November 2012 by Aaron Marcuse-Kubitza, with direction from Brad Boyle, Bob Peet, Jim Regetz and Mark Schildhauer, additional input from Mike Lee, Nick Spencer and Brian Enquist, and project coordination by Martha Narro. Development of the BIEN 3 database was supported jointly by The iPlant Collaborative and NCEAS.

Currently, BIEN is on database version 3.4 (January 2017) as additional data are added and improvements are made.

There are two ways to access and download publicly accessible data within BIEN 3

• biendata.org to access and visualize BIEN data (observations, traits, geographic ranges, plots) on a per species basis
• R BIEN – For multi species queries of all BIEN data. See also here for the R BIEN publication. For an overview of the methods used to develop range models for the BIEN 3 database click here